Archive for the 'Pinoy' Category

Lunch at Bernie’s Teriyaki marked my first foray into Historic Filipinotown, the business district located in the southwest section of Echo Park. Opened in 1977, Bernie Cruz’s namesake restaurant dishes up Filipino barbecue with a nod to Hawaiian plate lunches. My friend Thien has been a loyal fan of this grillin’ hut since her high school days and highly recommended it for a laid back, no frills, damn satisfying lunch.

Value conscious consumers will feel at ease at Bernie’s, where prices are low and plates are piled high. Most everything on the menu was priced in the neighborhood of $5 and provided enough provisions for two well-portioned meals or one really hefty feast.

The Astronomer and I split one beef, chicken, and pork teriyaki platter ($5.25). After paying at the counter and waiting for a bit, we picked up our food at the front window.

Ask a Filipina where to find the best Pinoy cooking in town and she’ll point you to her mother’s home. Ask her where to find an adequate substitute and she’ll suggest Magic Wok in Artesia.

Elena Pulmano converted a former Chinese fast-food outlet into a homey spot for honest Filipino cooking in 1979, but kept the restaurant’s moniker out of convenience. After a decade of feeding the community the crispiest pata in town, Ms. Pulmano handed the reins to her nephew Rudy and his wife, Marivic Abuyen, in 1989. Other than a fresh coat of paint and a few new menu items, not much has changed at Magic Wok since it debuted over 30 years ago.